No Country for Old Men (2007)

I finally got my hands on the Best Picture Oscar winner for 2007.

No Country is a raw and dark movie that really makes you think. The movie is set in a dusty small Texas town, where a small town guy (played by Josh Brolin - remember the Goonies?) stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong. After sifting through the dead bodies, he finds a satchel with 2 million dollars in cash, and decides to take his chances in keeping the money. Little does he know that one of the most frightening and heartless killers you are likely to see in a movie (played by Javier Bardem) has been hired to recover the loot. What follows is an immensely engaging cat and mouse game, in which the cat spreads death and destruction everywhere he goes. Then of course is the local Sheriff (played Tommy Lee Jones) that is trying to make sense of the aftermath, always one step behind the hunted and the hunter.

Several things about this film really stick out:

The first thing I noticed is that there was almost no music at all, I only remember some odd strains starting a good 60 seconds after the final credits start to roll. The effect is that everything feels very realistic and in-your-face. The last time I remember such an approach was with one of my favorite movies, Castaway.

Secondly, Javier Bardem's character, Anton Chigurh, is perhaps the most frightening and memorable villain of the decade - I put him in the same class as Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter, and Mr. Smith. I am actually surprised that Bardem was up for the supporting actor Oscar, he could easily be considered the lead character. This guy is literally out of this world, and something of a case study in psychology. From the first scene, Chigurh almost guided by principle in his killing, as if it is his calling in life - no one is immune, and even in some of the tender moments where innocent bystanders are pleading for mercy, Chigurh's face reveals that they might as well be flies to be swatted.

Third, the setting of the film is quite reminiscent of Fargo, one of the Coen's previous films. It reveals a real down to earth people. Coming from a small town in the west myself, I have to say this movie absolutely nailed it. I could point to half a dozen people in my town that mirror the people that I grew up with.

The ending of the movie was a little strange - but honestly, the more I think about it, the more I like it - I won't give it away. Suffice it to say that this movie was easily one of the best movies of 2007, and one that I am dying to watch again. The movie is not just a violent movie for guys who like violence, but a deeply introspective film that challenges your perceptions on what is right and what is wrong, the reality of violence no matter what part of the world you live in, and how people cope with it and try to make sense of it. I heartily recommend this movie to anyone (who can stomach the violence).

Just wanted to show one of my favorite clips from the movie, where Chigurh meets a random guy at a gas station and starts a tense and fascinating dialog:



And here is one of the trailers: